Helping patients achieve a better quality of life, that's what drives the team at the Arbor Health Wound Care Clinic. Board certified in wound and ostomy care, this skilled, compassionate team provides specialized treatment and attention to help chronic, or non-healing wounds, heal.
If you're dealing with a wound that isn't improving, or healed properly within four to six weeks, reach out to your primary healthcare provider. He or she can provide information, including how to schedule an appointment or get a referral, about the wound care clinic, which is located at the Morton Hospital.
Many healthcare plans cover wound care clinic treatment. Your coverage depends on your specific plan.
Patient Conditions
Patients with the following conditions that can helped include:
- Diabetic foot ulcers
- Venous stasis ulcers
- Pressure ulcers
- Arterial ulcers
- Infected wounds
- Surgical wounds that just won't heal
- Injuries such as burns, bites, lacerations or contusions
- People with wound-susceptible diseases, like rheumatoid arthritis or gout
- Patients on medications such as steroids or oncology drugs
Our board certified wound and ostomy team can treat many of these wounds, including some that have resisted healing for months and even years of traditional treatment.
And again, our goals are simple, yet very important: To provide the specialized treatment you need to help you heal and achieve a better quality of life.
Our board certified nurse, and the rest of the wound care clinic team, works with your personal physician or healthcare provider, discussing your treatment program and keeping them updated on your healing and overall progress.
Arbor Health Wound Care Nurse
Leading the Arbor Health Wound Care clinic team is Kathy Blake, RN, CWCN. She is the team's main healthcare provider and she has a long history with our organization when she first started as a Certified Nursing Assistant. Currently as a Wound Care Nurse, she helps patients with chronic non-healing wounds, working closely with Arbor Health physicians to provide an unmatched level of compassionate care.
Reach Out For Wound & Ostomy Care Help
If you, or someone you know, needs help with wound and ostomy care, make sure to reach out to your primary healthcare provider. Talk to him or her about a referral to our wound care clinic. The intake fax number is 360-496-3508.
Why Board Certification Is Important
The Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nursing Certification Board (WOCNCB®) began certifying nurses in 1978 as a way to recognize and differentiate the value of expert nurses who specialize in wound care. Becoming board certified is a voluntary process requiring specific evaluations of a nurse's professional wound care experience. While a nurse who is not board-certified may possess basic skills, he or she may not have the specialized training and expertise to adequately provide effective wound care. Board certification ensures that a nurse is knowledgeable and well-qualified to provide specialized care that is meant to protect you, the patient.
Board certified nurses possess the following qualifications:
- Clinical experts: Board-certified nurses are required to complete many hours of classroom education and clinical experience.
- Treatment specialists: Board-certified nurses are required to participate in ongoing education programs, staying up-to-date on the most current techniques and products.
- Health educators: Board-certified nurses teach you about your health problems and how to best manage them. Educated patients can actively participate in their care, leading to quicker healing and increased comfort.